Alcohol Detox-Facts You Should Know
By Antin. It has been seen that alcohol detox is considered to be one of the best options for getting rid of your addiction. Basically detox implies the elimination and removal of alcohol from the body, which is brought about by abstinence from alcohol. Alcohol detox also includes medication, and altering the diet of the patient along with support from friends and family so that they can remain committed on the same for a longer time.
In mild and moderate cases of alcohol addiction, alcohol detox can be done at home with full support from all family members. Besides attending AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings, the patient needs special diet plan. The diet is to be protein-rich and with a generous amount of fiber and fluids, and the person should consume water throughout the day.
Complicated alcoholism cases that involve symptoms such as hallucinations, severe withdrawal symptoms, and multi-substance misuse, need inpatient detoxification. In extreme cases, medication is used to detoxify heavy drinkers. This is also termed pharmacological detoxification. Here, the patients are forewarned that they may suffer anxiety and insomnia for a couple of days. The most common drugs used for alcohol detoxification are benzodiazepines, with Chlordiazepoxide being the most preferred benzodiazepine used. Diazepam is also widely used, but fatal effects may occur if it is mixed with huge doses of alcohol. This kind of alcohol detox has to be done under medical supervision.
Following alcohol detox is unpleasant and can produce symptoms that express both physically and emotionally. Many who have completed an alcohol detox program claim the experience, though necessary, was traumatic and withdrawal from alcohol or drugs can produce both physical and mental manifestations that range from mild to alarmingly severe. That’s why it’s so important for people to go through an alcohol detox process in a licensed facility with fully trained medical staff on hand to oversee the process. Some people experience headaches, the ’shakes’, vomiting, insomnia and even delirium tremors, more commonly known as the ‘DTs’ and even seizures. Severe withdrawal symptoms like seizures and convulsions may appear in one of four detox patients. So Supervised alcohol detox is recommended to avoid negative effects of this process.
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Tags: alcohol addiction, alcohol detox, alcohol detoxification, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, withdrawal symptoms